Small Front door - what are the options?

ST1991

Hi all,
I've been meaning to have a new front door fitted for a while, and after finally finding a fitter and a door we liked, quarantine happened.

Thankfully the fitter was able to come today and do the measuring/checking bit before we got started. The shop that would be supplying the door is still closed for the moment, but we obviously couldn't proceed without measurements anyway. I previously sent lot's of pictures because my front door is in a bit of an awkward place, and when he got here his face dropped. Our front door is 74" high and there is no room to make it any taller... not even by an inch. This means the oak door we were looking at is gone. And actually all doors we were looking at are now not possible as we would need at least 4" shaved off the height and they don't allow for that much to be taken off.

I really want to stick with a wooden door, i personally don't like UPVC. has a browse online and found a few websites that do make custom sized timber front doors but the cost is sooo high.
My previous quote/budget was around £1000. This was for an oak veneer front door, frame, door furniture and fitting. The door itself was around £300/£400 of that.

The joiner suggested he could make a door for us, but it would be much more expensive and possibly not worth it. A less expensive option he suggested would be to make a modern giant glass-panelled door where the glass is toughened/reinforced, as the cost of the glass would be cheaper than recreating the panelling we wanted. he also suggested we could change the door to open outwards instead of inwards as it would make it more secure.

However my house is a 400 year old cottage and i don't think a modern front door will really do the trick...  
I really don't have the money to be spending £1000 on a custom front door before even looking at fitting, surely there is another way?

Has anyone had any previous dealings with custom timber doors or short doors in general, and know what seems to be a good price so i can take my head out of the clouds?

Niv

Have you thought about checking out reclamation yards? (when open if they don't have a website). 

Personally i would not have the door open outwards, I don't see how its more secure (except to knock out anyone that is the other side)

Robin9

Is your cottage Listed ?

Mickey666

I have an old listed house and odd-sized doors and windows come with the territory, which usually means having replacements custom made.  My last custom-made large (1.1m side x 2.1m high) stable door in oak cost the best part of £2000 seven years ago.  Personally, I save up until I don’t need to compromise.  That £2000 is now long gone and forgotten but I get pleasure from having a solid oak quality door every day, plus it will probably last a couple of hundred years or more so future owners will thank me.

Another option is to buy an oversized door and have it cut to size by a competent joiner.  I’ve also done that and was amazed at the final result.  But do make sure it’s a solid door that will stand up to being trimmed down.
Well done for avoiding horrible plastic though!

ST1991

Oh great idea! I hadn't thought about reclamation. I think there are a few in my area so i'll have a look online and see what i can find! thankyou!

I'm not sold on the idea of it opening outwards, but the door fitter seemed to think it would be a good idea to save some space internally as the door doesn't quite even open to a full 90 degrees inside. My front door opens into a small single storey extension where the kitchen is... there isn't much i can do about that but i am planning on having the kitchen refitted and decorated after the new door is installed to make most of the space.

ST1991

Thanks everyone!
My house is not listed, just old lol
Mickey i don't think i could bare to spend £2000 on a door... it's 30" by 74" (at a push...) and although i know in the long run it would probably be worth it, the front door is side-facing and adds absolutely zero kerb appeal. My house is so awkward it's honestly a little ugly but it's 'my' ugly... and it's deceiving too as it's quite large inside.
Buying a larger door and having it cut down would only be OK if the door was completely solid - whereas i was looking at an oak door with glazing and panelling previously. To go from that to something that resembles a firedoor just isn't worth it for me. I've called around a little and can't find a door made any smaller than 78", and if it is, there isn't enough room to shave it down without compromising the door itself.

I have a secondary problem, and that is my current front door is no longer fit for purpose - so i'm not really able to save for a few more months and get something stunning. I'm lucky to be working from home for the time being but i'm extremely concious that if someone wanted to break in, it would only take one kick.
Couple that with the fact i'm pregnant and meant to be saving everything i can for when my income drastically plummets...

I feel like i am being a little fussy, perhaps! I guess this is one of the quirks with an older house. These problems will come up...!

MovingForwards

You may be able to get your existing door to have a temp fix to get you through a year or two.

Architectural salvage 
Reclaimers yard

Are the two search terms which I use and have found some great businesses. One of them frequently puts things in their yard and posts on FB saying free things to whoever wants to collect, says how many there are, puts photos up and then posts again when they have all gone.  External and internal doors are one of the common things that are free. I've also seen fire places, railings, furniture etc too.

If you want to say what county you are in, one of us may be able to suggest a company to look at.

FreeBear

Here is one site that appears to have some reclaimed doors the right size - https://authentic-reclamation.co.uk/stock/?unit=in&height=74&height-tolerance=0.5&width=30&width-tolerance=0.5

My front door opens outwards - Very handy for those annoying & unwanted door knockers. They run the risk of a bloodied nose if they stand too close. Downside to opening outwards is one does have to be careful the door isn't caught by any strong gusts of wind.

naf123

If you are having a baby , will the buggy fit in? You may have to consider an outwards opening door then ?

naf123

Oh and also you can get a solid door cut down to size and add faux panels to it ? 

knightstyle

A solid wooden door can be taken apart and made smaller.  It is composite doors that most installers use that cannot.
Look for a carpenter in your area and talk to them.